The (Former) Merc and the 084
by Llwydyn
Summary: A collection of one-shots and snippets of Lance Hunter and Skye - multiple genres. Mostly established-relationship pieces. I'll take ideas and prompts! Latest Chapter: "Collateral Damage"
1. Lesser-Known Skills

**Lesser-Known Skills**: Their extraction plan gone awry, Hunter pulls out a few of his lesser-known skills to help them escape. Skye is suitably impressed.

* * *

><p>Hunter and Skye flew out the back door of the embassy, Hunter's eyes scanning the street frantically.<p>

"Here!" he hissed, darting toward an older model Ford sedan. "Cover me."

Skye took up a position behind the car, watching the embassy for signs of movement, as Hunter jimmied the lock on the Ford and disappeared into the driver's seat. A few minutes later, the engine revved to life.

Skye blinked, impressed. "Did you just hot-wire this car?"

"Get in!" Hunter ordered, shooting her a dirty look. Skye ran around to the passenger side and leapt in. Hunter peeled away from the curb.

"I didn't know you could do that," Skye remarked approvingly.

"Sometimes," Hunter acknowledged, scanning the traffic ahead of them.

They shot down the block, past the embassy driveway from which emerged a line of four black cars.

"Bloody hell," muttered Hunter. He downshifted and flung them around a right turn, tires squealing. Skye ended up practically in his lap.

"You," he growled, "need to have a seat belt on." He began weaving in and out of traffic, trying to put distance between them and the embassy vehicles.

Skye buckled in. "Evasive driving too, huh?"

Hunter nodded, checking the mirrors. "Idaho was always better at it, so I'm a little rusty." He spun the wheel hard to the left, entering an alleyway.

"Did we lose them?" Skye asked.

"I think so." He turned out of the alleyway onto an arterial and gunned the engine, heading the opposite way from their pursuers.

Skye grinned at him stupidly. "You are so hot right now."

Hunter's lips quirked in a small smile. "Save it for later, love." He scanned the mirrors again, then, satisfied they were in the clear, winked roguishly at her.


	2. Smooth

**Smooth**

When the door to Hunter's bunk opened, Skye did a double take.

"What. The. Crap?"

Hunter grimaced, rubbing his bare chin self-consciously. "I had to shave it off for a mission," he explained, just a hint of a pathetic whine in his voice.

Skye's eyes were wide. "Who are you? Where's Hunter?"

He shot her a withering glare. "Coulson has me going undercover-"

"As what, a baby bunny?"

Hunter looked offended, and Skye stifled a laugh.

"As a resort employee who isn't permitted to have facial hair," he continued in an aggrieved tone.

Skye took a step closer, examining him. "I don't think I've ever seen your chin before."

Hunter rolled his eyes, affecting a cheeky grin. "What do you think?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

"I think you look way less like a dangerous, womanizing SHIELD agent." She grinned.

"Come on, it's not all bad," he replied teasingly, sneaking an arm around her waist and pulling her in close. "No more short bristly hairs tickling your nose when I kiss you." To Skye's satisfaction, he proceeded to demonstrate, pausing after just a moment to leave her wanting more. "Well?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I feel like I'm cheating on Hunter with the pool boy," she whispered, her eyes full of mischief.

"Bellhop," he corrected, before she pulled him into a more thorough kiss.

Skye leaned back after a few minutes, studying his face and humming thoughtfully. Hunter waited for the verdict.

Skye wrinkled her nose. "Yeah, okay, I see your point. But I think I still like you better with the scruff."

He grinned. "I'll make sure I have at least a nice five o'clock shadow before I come back home."

"You do that," she murmured. She trailed her fingers thoughtfully along his cheek, exploring the smooth skin. "I suppose I could get used to this. If I had to."

Hunter smirked triumphantly.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Credit where credit is due: search Google Images for "Nick Blood baby bunny" if you don't already know what I'm referring to... ;)

My apologies to Nick (if he ever gets wind of this), whom, by the way, I find to be perfectly handsome both with and without facial hair. ;)


	3. Sparring

**Sparring**

He wasn't her SO. Far from it. (As if they'd entrust him with that much.) But he was deeply invested in making sure she came back alive from every mission she ever went on.

So after he saw how badly she'd been roughed up by a Hydra agent on their last op, Hunter suggested sparring.

They hadn't ever, before - May was protective of Skye's training - and it felt a little strange to start out their romantic relationship and hand-to-hand combat practice within the same few weeks.

But _c'est la vie_, right? They were SHIELD agents, after all.

Her technique was pretty good, he acknowledged right away. Agent May was definitely a competent teacher. But Skye needed extra practice taking down opponents whose physical strength and stature outmatched her own.

Okay, so his stature didn't outmatch hers by that much. But his physical strength did.

After the third time he had her down on the mats, she was mad, the skin around her lips turning white from how firmly she was pressing them together.

"I need to blow off some steam," she said curtly before stalking over to the punching bag, leaving him wondering whether this was gonna come back to bite him later. Maybe he should have gone easier on her. But Hydra wouldn't. And he wanted to make sure she was up for whatever she encountered out there.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a small movement, and turned to see Agent May observing through the windows of the gym. She must have been watching them spar.

He grimaced and made his way out to join her, folding his arms across his body as they both watched Skye pummel the punching bag.

"I hope you don't mind," he said apologetically to the senior agent.

May shook her head, a tiny, pleased smile on her lips. She looked steadily at Hunter for a moment, as he tensed under the weight of her scrutiny, before she turned her attention back to Skye.

"You're the only one besides Coulson I'd trust to augment her training," May replied quietly, the softness on her face underscoring her sincerity. "You care about her as much as we do."

Hunter couldn't suppress the relieved smile that curved his lips. That was the closest thing to "Welcome to the family" that he had heard.

"I'll take good care of her," he promised softly, watching Skye through the glass.

"I know," May replied.


	4. Thirty Seconds

It was a lot easier to hack a building's security system under pressure, Skye reflected, when you weren't zip-tied to a chair three doors down, trying to talk your technologically-challenged boyfriend through the hack on a walkie-talkie you're operating with your chin.

Thank God they'd packed the walkies, since the goons who'd taken her by surprise, zip-tied her to the chair, and left her there had also taken her inner-ear com.

"So I do _what_ now?" Hunter's vaguely panicked voice came crackling over the line.

Suddenly, she heard two gunshots on his end, and the line went dead. She was left in silence, with nothing but her suddenly wildly thudding heart for company. "Crap!" she exclaimed. "Crap, crap, crap!" She struggled against the zip ties frantically, feeling them cut into her skin.

The longest thirty seconds of her life later, the walkie-talkie sputtered back to life. "Skye?" she heard him say.

Breath flooded back into her lungs. "Oh God. Lance! Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he replied. "Couple of Hydra guys busted in here and tried to take me out."

"What happened?"

"I was a better shot," he replied shortly. "Now, tell me what to do next so we can get this done and get us both the hell out of here."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Skye is not able to pinpoint vibrations accurately enough to take out the zip-ties. Otherwise, she'd have been out of there in a second. :)


	5. Let's Start the New Year Right

**A/N:** A snippet of melancholy fluff set the New Year's Eve after "What They Become" - since the timeline of Season 2 is a mystery to me, I'm not exactly sure how much time has elapsed since those events.

The web site was glitching on this chapter for some reason, so I've reposted in hopes that it will start showing up! Sorry about the technical difficulties. :-P

* * *

><p>Hunter had been right...this really was a great place for fireworks. The bright blooms of color began lighting up the sky a little after 11pm, and their spot on a hill under a tree in a nearby park provided an unobstructed view.<p>

Skye snuggled closer to Hunter, pulling his suit jacket, which they were sharing, more tightly around her. She had her own light jacket, but it wasn't warm enough, and it didn't smell like him - that musky, uniquely Hunter scent that was somehow exhilarating and comforting at the same time.

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head as the finale of sparkling explosions turned the night sky to day, the sounds of celebration almost deafening. Abruptly the show ended, leaving only a ringing in her ears and wisps of smoke drifting through the air, illuminated by the park lights.

"That was beautiful," she murmured, her head still resting on Hunter's shoulder.

"Not nearly as beautiful as you," he rumbled quietly, and she could tell he was smiling like a fool.

"I like having this effect on you," she said with a grin, lifting her head to look him in the eye.

"You always do," he replied affectionately. He leaned in to kiss her softly.

They held the kiss for a long moment, Skye soaking in the waves of happiness and peace that washed over them. She wished that all of life could be like this moment, that it wouldn't get lost in the craziness of stress and missions as soon as they got back to base.

She supposed she could be thankful that they got to have these moments at all.

"How did you pull off this date?" she asked, tracing his stubbly jawline softly with her fingers. He had treated her to quite the night on the town - window-shopping, plus some real shopping where he had insisted she buy herself something to wear that wasn't black. She had chosen a gorgeous dress in a deep plum color, which she had then worn to dinner - at a _very_ fancy restaurant, no less, where he had ordered for them both in French.

She hadn't known he spoke French.

_"Just enough to get by,"_ he had explained.

Still.

Skye pulled her thoughts back to the present moment. "I mean, getting the night off was hard enough on its own. How did you manage all of this on SHIELD agent pay?"

Hunter caught hold of her hand, brushing a kiss to her palm, then laced their fingers together. Skye enjoyed the tingles his touch sent up her spine.

"I had some help," Hunter admitted, a little uncomfortably. "Coulson and I both thought you've more than earned a nice break, after everything you've been through this year. He gave me a bonus, with the condition that I use it to spoil you." He watched her eyes, curious what her reaction would be.

Skye found herself smiling, her eyes growing moist. Somehow, it was even better to know that the evening was an expression of Coulson's care for her, as well as Hunter's. "I love that," she murmured.

"Good." Hunter looked relieved. "Some day," he added softly, "I'll strike it fabulously rich and take you out for fancy French cuisine every night."

Skye shook her head, still smiling. "Don't get me wrong, it sounds nice. But I'd rather have our life the way it is than all the fancy French cuisine in the world."

Hunter's eyes grew mischievous. "If I'd known that, I'd have stayed in and made you pancakes."

Skye laughed, bumping his shoulder with her own. He caught her chin in his hand and kissed her soundly.

A commotion rose up from the cluster of people sitting on blankets on the other side of the park. Hunter and Skye both turned to look.

_"10 - 9 - 8 - 7..."_

"Looks like our timing was a little off," Hunter said, turning back to Skye expectantly.

She grinned and pressed her lips to his again as the crowd shouted "Happy New Year!"

They separated, Hunter tucking a stray lock of hair back from her face. "Happy New Year, Skye."

"Happy New Year, Lance."

Hearing his first name on her lips always had a surprisingly strong effect on him. He brought his forehead to hers, cupping her cheeks with both hands, suddenly overwhelmed with the desire to protect her from things he knew he couldn't control. "Here's hoping this year is easier than the last," he murmured.

Sadness shadowed her face, and he wished he hadn't said anything. Tonight was supposed to be a break, a celebration, not a time to linger in the grief and regret of the past twelve months. Quickly, he thought of something else to say. "What's your New Year's resolution?"

The shadow passed as quickly as it had come, as if Skye too were eager to set all of that aside for tonight. She pondered for a moment, then grinned wickedly. "To become a better shot than you."

Hunter reeled back in mock offense. "Good luck with that," he said with a playful wink.

"What's yours?"

Hunter's brow crinkled thoughtfully. "Not sure."

Skye snuggled in close to him again, letting his warmth envelop her. "I think it should be to speak French more often."

Hunter chuckled, wrapping his arm around her to pull her even closer. "_Si tu veux, ma chérie_."

Skye grinned.

The first stars of the new year twinkled overhead.


	6. Date Night

**Date Night:** It's never a good idea to try to mug two SHIELD agents out on a date.

* * *

><p>Moonlight was filtering through the scattered clouds as two figures slipped out the back door of the movie theater, arms wrapped around each other's waists as they made their way across the quiet parking lot.<p>

"You were totally scared when that guy jumped out of nowhere," the man teased in a soft British accent.

"No way," the woman replied incredulously, pulling back to glare at him.

"You practically jumped into my lap."

"It was a good excuse," she deflected mischievously.

"I can't believe it," he went on ribbing her. "Terrifying, hardened SHIELD agent that you are, yet you're freaked out by a jump scene." He grinned at her infuriated response. "I notice you're not wearing your heart rate monitor. Afraid it would give you away?"

They stopped, the man drawing the woman closer as she spluttered and tried not to grin. "You...are so..."

He cut her off with a kiss.

"Stop right there! Get your hands up!"

Two men emerged from the shadows, one pointing a gun at the couple, the other holding a knife.

The man and woman both raised their hands above their heads.

"You, the lady! Toss me your purse!"

Hunter quirked an eyebrow at Skye.

She nodded almost imperceptibly.

She took a step closer, as if to toss her purse. Then in a flash she grabbed the attacker's gun and pivoted in toward his chest, firing the gun into the dirt before elbowing him sharply in the face. He crumpled to the ground, howling.

Meanwhile, Hunter took the legs out from under the other man with a swift kick, then incapacitated him with a knee to the chin on his way to the ground.

In less than ten seconds, Hunter and Skye were standing over two groaning would-be muggers, hardly having broken a sweat.

Hunter surveyed the two men writhing on the ground, his face screwed up in mock sympathy. "Really not the best decision you made today, chaps."

Skye coolly ejected the mag from the gun and flipped it into the bushes before wiping her prints off the gun and dropping it next to the criminals. "You guys seriously need to learn to pick your targets better." She wrinkled up her nose in distaste. "Not that I think you'll get the chance." In the distance, they heard sirens start to wail. Skye quickly scanned the parking lot. "You think we're in security camera range?"

Hunter shrugged noncommittally. "Probably too far for them to pick up any detail."

"No," Skye agreed. "But close enough for the cops to know these guys were the aggressors." She opened her purse and pulled out an ICER pistol, then proceeded to ICE both crooks. The corner of Hunter's mouth quirked up approvingly.

They slipped into a dark alleyway beside the parking lot. Hunter shrugged off his jacket and draped it around Skye's shoulders to cover her dress. "You parked a few blocks away?" Skye asked.

"Always."

Skye reached into her purse again and pulled out a baseball cap, handing it to Hunter before taking out her updo and shaking her hair loose. "All right. We're good to go."

Hunter arched an amused eyebrow, settling the hat onto his head. "What else do you have in there?"

Skye grinned knowingly. "Just don't ask me to touch up my lipstick, or you'll be taking a nice, long nap."

They made it to the car without incident and started on a circuitous route back to base.

After a little while, Skye smirked. "Still think I'm freaked out by jump scenes?"

"I stand corrected," Hunter admitted with an affectionate grin.

A few minutes later, he added, "Next time you want to practically sit in my lap, just ask."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Bonus points for those who catch the Agent Carter reference. ;)


	7. Collateral Damage

**A/N:** Fair warning - this little snippet is sad. Also, in it Skye and Hunter are married. Because, in my headcanon, that happens eventually, and the emotional intimacy of this piece seemed like an appropriate time for it.

* * *

><p>Skye knew something had gone terribly wrong with the mission as soon as her husband stepped off the quinjet.<p>

The official report from May was that the op, though successful, had been dicey for a few minutes, but that alone couldn't account for the heaviness of Hunter's steps, his slumped shoulders, or the haunted look in his eyes.

He stumbled over to Skye and nearly crushed her in an embrace, burying his face in her hair and inhaling deeply as he held on to her tight.

Skye was really alarmed, now. Hunter usually never let this level of dependency on her show, unless it was just the two of them. "What happened?" she asked quietly, trying to stay calm. He pulled back, and she ran her fingers across his sweat- and blood-streaked face, hoping her touch would be soothing to him.

He leaned into her hand and closed his eyes, then opened them to look into hers. "Later," he managed, as May gestured for him to follow her into Coulson's office for debriefing.

* * *

><p>Skye waited in their room until he got back from the debrief. He came in with the same haunted look, and she helped him wash off the grime and get changed into pajama pants and a clean T-shirt before he sat down heavily on the edge of the bed and motioned for her to join him.<p>

She sat down beside him.

"I shot a civilian today, a woman," he said hollowly, staring at his hands. "The fight wasn't supposed to spill into the street, but it did. It was my fault - I reacted too quickly, before I was sure what I was shooting at."

Skye reflexively covered her mouth with one hand, then, realizing, took the hand away and put it on his knee instead. He covered it with his own.

"What happened?" She was glad that her voice stayed calm, soothing.

Hunter shook his head. "I don't know. We had to get out of there quickly. EMS was arriving on site as we were leaving, but..." He trailed off, lifting his eyes to meet hers.

Skye nodded, pressing her lips together. He was a good shot.

She cupped his cheek with her free hand, stroking with her thumb, and again he leaned into her touch.

"What did Coulson say?" she asked quietly.

"Of course he was upset. He didn't say much. Said I seemed to be doing well enough holding myself accountable for it."

Skye nodded, blinking back tears. Of course Hunter would. That was part of why she loved him.

She knew all the right answers - that it wasn't his fault; that sometimes, in a firefight, things just happen too fast; that sometimes collateral damage is unavoidable. But he knew all those answers, too, and they weren't what he needed.

"Come here," she said quietly, her voice thickening with unshed tears. She crawled up onto the bed and leaned back on the pillows, and Hunter curled up against her, wrapping his arms around her tightly and laying his head on her shoulder.

Skye carded her fingers through his short hair with one hand as she felt his hot tears began to dampen her T-shirt. He always cried silently; she sometimes wondered what hard lesson along the way had taught him to be so quiet with his pain. But he couldn't hold it in; he had to get it out. Tomorrow, he'd be able to move on.

The tears kept coming until he fell asleep, his head growing heavy on her, his breathing becoming slow and even. Skye stroked his face gently, bittersweetly glad that she could be a source of comfort for him.

She was his safe place.

No matter how crazy the world outside got, no matter how much emotional damage they each sustained, they would be that for each other.


End file.
